the coffee shop and cafe chronicles: a week in review

so, if you follow me on instagram you already know that the coffee shop and cafe chronicles has happened. and if you're like uh...i just randomly found this link what is that? here's the skinny:

i'm a freelance writer, and i work from home. which is—for the most part—a pretty awesome gig, but as i mentioned previously it can get a little lonely.

winter is probably one of the harder seasons for me. in the summer and fall i work outside as much as humanly possible, but in NY it's 14 degrees out today so i'm staying put.

which can lead to my going a bit stir crazy.

you know, when you work from home and you randomly get a song stuck in your head you can actually just belt it out all day. somewhere in the second chorus of footloose (idk why) i started missing human interaction and proper office behavior.

so, i decided to embark on this week of checking out places around the island that i could work in to get a break from my home office. a little change of scenery might get the creative juices flowing, too.

thus, the coffee shop and cafe chronicles was born. i'd spend each day in a new cafe or coffee shop around long island and see which were fit for working, and which were best left for eating and chatting with friends.

i also decided to challenge myself by trying to go zero-waste for the week—that meant bringing all of my own cups/utensils/tupperware to anywhere i was headed to eat.

here's how it played out...

MONDAY
starbucks, plainview 10:30am

truth be told, i'm more of a dunkin girl. but, dunkin donuts doesn't really have that cozy coffee shop vibe. turns out, starbucks isn't really that cozy anymore either. idk if it's just that i haven't been here in ages or if i remember it differently than it actually was, but i was a little disappointed by the aesthetic.

i totally swear there used to be a big maroon plush velvet lounge chair in here many moons ago. and when i chose this as my first stop i envisioned myself sitting in it and working. fail.

now, it has more of a cafeteria style feel. a long cushioned bench seat with small tables and seats on the opposite side, and a few small tables along the wall fit for a solo worker (like me), or two people max.

anyway. let's get to the important stuff.

wifi was free and fast, which made for easy working—and online shopping when not working.

the noise level was minimal.

the crowd was actually mostly people working, or just reading the newspaper, so there wasn't a ton of chatter happening around me.

the barista gave me a discount for asking for tea in my mason jar (winning!)
and one large negative: it was ungodly cold in there. like, keep your fucking gloves on while you type cold. also...i got an iced passion fruit tea, so i definitely was partially to blame for the lack of feeling in my fingers.

working environment wise, it was definitely a suitable alternative to my office. i definitely could have bursted out footloose here, too, if i really wanted to, but i refrained. it was a little more crowded than i expected, but there were plenty of tables open.

moral of the monday story: starbucks is cold, but it's a perfectly good spot to get work done.

TUESDAY
stella blue bistro, huntington 11am

ok you guys, this is my place. the place. the one i didn't want to tell anyone about.
it's my new favorite spot on long island, seriously.

i absolutely love stella blue—i've always wanted to come here and i'm so glad i finally did. it's small, and so cozy! it made me feel like i was back in new paltz. 

the music is absolute perfection. there are cute hand made goodies throughout available for purchase (if you know me well, you know i love tchotchkes), including a mood ring that was hard to resist.

the menu is outrageous. there are so many choices. AND so many gluten-free and vegan choices, too! i opted for a vegan 'raw energy' smoothie in my mason jar, and the woman behind the counter was happy to oblige. countless other food items caught my attention, more on that later. 

ok, ok, imporant work-related stuff. 

wifi was fast and easily accessible. stella blue had their own but it required a password. i just hopped on optimum because it was easier than getting up and asking (i know, lazy AF).

minimal noise. just a few people talking, and seriously amazing tuneage. like, the best. classic rock all daayyyy. i was so happy. did i mention that i love this place?

the space is small, and i was a little nervous there would be a crowd, but it wasn't bad. no one else with a lap top working, but there were plenty of solo diners coming in and out, reading a newspaper and just relaxing.

this place totally offered that cozy vibe i was looking for. there's just a handful of tables, a small leather sofa, and a small section of bar stool seats, too. 

i grabbed an empty table next to this guy and set up shop 

i only intended to stay for a little while to get a few things done and then head back home. i got stuck in a stella blue vortex of good vibes, good energy, good music, and good food, though. like i said before, i was entranced by the food offered, so i headed to the bathroom to clean out my mason jar and get something to go. (i forgot my other reusable bags, so this was my only option). 

you guys. the bathroom was amazing. i went full blown fangirl over the wallpaper and people probably thought i fell in the toilet or something because i spent so much time in there just staring at it. 

when i finally came to, i headed back out to grab something to eat. i forked over my mason jar for the second time and grabbed a few raw energy bites. they're $1 a piece, which i thought was just a little pricey. but, they were so good (and well-sized) it was worth every penny. 

moral of the tuesday story: great place to work. it's only been a week and i already can't wait to go back. 

WEDNESDAY
bare buns bakery & cafe, plainview 12pm

had a late start on wednesday. i tried to make a point to get to every spot before lunch time to avoid big crowds and to ensure that i'd be able to grab a table and work.

bare buns is a gluten free, nut free, and kosher bakery. it also offers a ton of vegan options, too. if you've ever been to barenaked bakery in bellmore it's very similar—but smaller. there's only three tables in this bakery—so you can understand my need to hurry for a seat.

for wifi i, again, connected to optimum. it's easy, fast, free, and reliable.

since there are only three tables, the noise factor wasn't really much of an issue because there is only a limited amount of space for people to able to sit.
but you are sitting right next to each other...so close it's basically like sitting at one communal table. so, if there's people on either side of you having a conversation it can be a little distracting—and prime for eavesdropping.

i was fortunate enough to grab a seat before anyone else came in, and i thought for a minute i'd have the whole place to myself. but by the time 12:30 rolled around, so did a crowd. since there's limited seating most people opted to take their food to go, but the few seats around me did fill up fast.

i brought my own tupperware from home so that i could grab a bite and still stick to my zero-waste challenge. the cook was happy to accommodate me, and even said his girlfriend was attempting the same thing. they're really serious about avoiding cross contamination here, so he didn't bring my containers back into the kitchen. instead, he brought the food out to me when it was done and transferred it into my containers at my table. #gratitude.

food recommendation: the pulled fork sandwich or falafel patty, and a linzer tart for dessert 

moral of the wednesday story: quiet and nice place to work, but it can fill up fast so be sure to get there before the lunch rush or some time after.

THURSDAY
the home office

i had a lot to get done on thursday, so staying in was my best bet to getting everything accomplished. in comparison to the spots i'd visited throughout the week, my home office was/is still my favorite place to work. mostly because it's mine—fully customized to be exactly what i dreamed up.

and maybe also because i don't have to worry about finding a seat during lunch hour here.

yes it's quiet.
yes it's a little lonely sometimes.
but i do have finley—my furry little man—to keep me company.

when i was reflecting on the week so far i realized something...i'd gone on this endeavor partially to feel less alone, but wound up finding that i was really just choosing a new place to be alone in.

it was nice getting out of the house, for sure, and it was great checking out new places, too. but nothing beats the comforts of home. i was just as productive outside of the office as in, and the only major difference was that i got to eat some new food—and spend a lot more money than usual.

i guess that's the downside of working in a cafe...you feel obligated to buy something in order to sit and work there. question though: are you actually obligated to buy something in order to sit and work there? or did i just make that up? someone let me know.

moral of the thursday story: home is where the free food, footloose jam sessions, and finley are <3 basically, there's no place like home.

FRIDAY
organic krush, woodbury 12pm

i've been wanting to try this place for a while, too—i'd heard on more than one occasion that i'd love it here. and i definitely did. i loved the aesthetic, and the food was great, too.

food recommendation: gluten free, vegan, zucchini muffin 

i'll quickly break down the important work-focused part:
wifi was free, food service was fast, the noise level was out of control, and it was mega-crowded—the seating was painfully limited.

it's worth pointing out that i was there at 12pm (prime lunch break time, especially on a friday). which goes against my better judgement. i really had no idea what to expect from this place, but i definitely didn't think it would be as wildly crowded as it was. i mean, there literally was not ONE seat available when i got there, and people were hovering around the tables just waiting for the moment someone got up.

there are two stools facing the window and thankfully one opened up and i grabbed it. i was grateful to have not brought my laptop with me, since space was so limited.

i'd definitely like to try this spot again earlier to see if it's less crowded. i think heading here around 10am would have been much better. i'll try again and report back.

anyway, the people that work here are so friendly. the girl that was helping me loved that i was trying to go zero-waste, she was genuinely excited to put my smoothie in a mason jar and told the other ladies she worked with why she was doing it.

it's fun to see other people's reactions. i definitely anticipated more puzzled looks, but was happy to find that people were genuinely interested and inspired by my zero-waste challenge.

moral of the friday story: great food, really cute spot, great service, but mega-super-ultra crowded. plan accordingly, and head in before lunch time! this might be one of the spots thats better for hanging with friends than working.